Toy electric engine



Feb. 17, 1931. J. w. HAYWOOD TOY ELECTRIC ENGINE Filed Jan. 19. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet l lNlE/VTOR John W Haywood, /f

H15 A TTO/CNEY Feb. 17, 1931. J w HAYWOOD 1,793,087

TOY ELECTRIC ENGINE Filed Jan. 19. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 11v V/VTOR J0/1r1 W Haywood,

HIS A TTO/LVE Feb. 17, 1931. w HAYWQOD 1,793,087

TOY ELECTRIC ENGINE Filed Jan. 19, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 John 14 Haywood,

Feb. 17, 1931.

J. w. HAYWOOD 93,087

TOY ELECTRIC ENGINE Filed Jan. 19. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 LVVEATO/f JO/W? Whayurood',

Patented Feb. 11, 1931 UNITED STATES JOHN W. HAYWOOD, OF BRONX, NEW YORK TOY ELECTRIC ENGINE Application filed January 19, 1928. Serial No. 247,899.

The invention relates to toy electric engines and particularly to an automatic reverse for such engines and has for its object to provide a device of this nature which is of simple construction, dependable in its operation and cheap to manufacture.

It is common practice in this art to provide a reversing switch on the engine. This switch is hand operated and naturally the engine must be brought to a stop before the switch can be operated, or a trip located at some predetermined point on the track may cause the switch to function. One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a reversing switch which may be operated from a point remote from the engine and a switch which will function whether the engine is stationary or in motion. Switches of this description have been designed and are in operation but by their present method of operation they reverse the direction of travel of the engine each time the current is turned on. A person operating the present well known type of toy engine will bring the engine to a stop. When he turns the current on again the engine, instead of proceeding in the same direction will travel in the opposite or reverse direction. According to the present invention when the engine is brought to a stop the person operating it may reverse its direction if he chooses or have it continue in the same direction. In the present well known form of construction the reversing switch, as previously stated, is

operated every time the current is turned on. YVith this invention a means is provided for operating the reversing switch only at the desired time.

This is accomplished by providing an over voltage relay electrically connected to the high voltage portion of the secondary winding of the transformer. The normal current will pass through said over voltage relay when the engine is operating but when it is desired to reverse the current in the field or armature of the motor an appropriate switch may be operated to provide a momentary contact with the high voltage portion of the secondary winding of the transformer. The high voltage will cause sufficient current to pass through the relay and cause same to function. This over voltage relay may be connected directly to a reversing switch for operating same or it may close an electric circuit which will cause another suitable coil to be energized and operate the reversing switch.

Other aspects, and advantages will be brought out as this specification proceeds. In the drawings one embodiment of the invention is illustrated and numerous changes may be made in the arrangement of parts and details of construction. Referring to said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with the outside cover in section.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the frame, carrying the operating parts of the invention.

Fig. 3 isa longitudinal section, on a larger scale, taken through the reversing switch. This section is taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view through the reversing switch taken on line 4& of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the over voltage relay used for operating the reversing switch control 'coil.

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram; and

Fig. 7 is a wiring diagram of another arrangement.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings the reference numeral 6 represents the motor which is mounted in the frame 7 in any well known manner. By means of well known reduction gearing 8 the wheels 9 are driven.

The frame 7 which may be of any desired construction carries at one end the reversing switch 10. The reversing switch comprises a rotor made of insulating material. The central part 11 of the rotor has a series of notches of which there may be six in number. The parts 12 of the rotor adjacent the central part are slabbed off to form a plurality of flat sides of which there may be three or one half of the number of notches in the .part 11. The rotor is freely mounted on a shaft 13 which is supported in brackets 14. Friction members 15 may be interposed between the rotor and brackets. U-shaped contact springs 16 and 17 bear against the parts 12 of the rotor. These contact springs, depending upon the position of the rotor engage other contacts, 18, 19 or 20, 21. In the position shown in the drawings one of the legs of each of the con tact springs 16, 17 is engaging the contacts 18, 19. When the rotor, by suitable mechanism hereinafter described, is turned one sixth of a revolution the contact springs 16, 17 will be disconnected from the contacts 18, 19 and connected with the contacts 20, 21. It will be obvious from the foregoing that this unit acts as a double pole double throw switch. This reversing switch'is of the progressive type, that is to say each operation of the switch reverses the relative direction of the current in the field and armature of the motor regardless of the direction of rotation of the motor. 1

- Mounted on one end of the shaft 13 is a lever 22. This lever carries a light spring finger 23 for cooperating with the notches in the central part 11 of the rotor to advance it the necessary one sixth of a revolution. A spring 24 attached to the opposite end of the lever 22 returns it to the position shown in the drawings, after it has beenactuated. The stud 25 to which the spring 24 is attached limits the movement of the lever by contacting at either end of its stroke, with the up-- standing legs of a U-shaped stop member 26. The construction ust described provides a simple, compact and eflicient reversing switch.

The means for operating the reversing switch will now be described. Pivoted at 27 on the lever 22 is a link 28, the other end of which is pivoted to the armature 29 of the switch operating or control coil 30. This coil 30, as illustrated, is located at the opposite end of the engine from the reversing switch but it may be just as convenientlylocated adjacent the reversing switch or in any other appropriate part of the engine. As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 it is a double coil but would function the same if it were a single coil as shown in the wiring diagram of Fig. 6. It will be clear from the foregoing that when the coil 30 is energized, the armature 29 will act to pull the lever in the proper direction to advance the rotor one sixth of a revolution and thus operate the reversing switch. In accordance with the invention it is an important feature that the motor be kept running and the coil 30 not energized to operate the reversing switch except at such times as onemay desire. This is accomplished by providlng an over voltage relay 31 which will only operate at high voltage to complete the circuit and energize the coil 30.

This over voltage relay will now be descr bed. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the

may be adjusted to control the distance of movement of the armature and nuts 38 may be adjusted to control the tension of the springs 39 which normally hold the armature away from the coils. Contacts 40 are secured to the armature and will engage conwhich may be the ordinary 110 volt house lighting service. The secondary winding is indicated at 49 and has the leads to the contacts 50, any one of which may be engaged by the switch 51, depending upon what voltage is desired. Wire 52 connects the low voltage portion of the secondary winding with the centertrack 53, and wire 54 connects the high voltage portion 55 of the secondary winding with thecontact 56 of a switch 57 which may be mounted on part of the transformer housing 58. Wire 59 connected to the movable switch arm 51 leads .to the upper contact 60 of switch 57. Attention is particularly directed to the arrangement thus far described. It will be noted that the switch arm 51 may be readily moved to any of the contacts 50 for normal operation of the engine but when the maximum voltage is desired the switch 57 must be operated. The maximum voltage will cause the reversing switch to be operated and reverse the direction of current in the field or armatureof the motor. 1

The switch 57, as diagrammatically illustrated, is shown as being operated by a push button 61 which is secured to the middle contact 62 of said switch. It is obvious that when the button 61 is pushed the circuit will be broken between the contacts 58 and 62 and the. contacts 56 and 62 will be engaged. The button 61 is so arranged that after being pushed and making the circuit between the contacts 56 and 62 it will immediately return to the position shown in Fig. 6, thus providing only a momentary contact. This switch might readily be constructed in numerous different ways to accomplish the desired result. The wire 63 connects the contact 62. with one of the side rails 64. Power is thus transmitted to the side rails and as previously mentioned by, the wire 52 to the relay may comprise two coils 32, or it may bg centre rail, thus energizing the tracks. From formed of one coil as shown in'Fig. '6. The relay has a laminated core 33 and is mounted on a base 34 suitably supported in the frame 7. Its armature '35 is slidably mounted on threaded studs 36. Nuts 37 on the studs 36 the foregoing it will be noted that as the arm 51 is moved the circuit is always complete to the tracks through the contacts 60 and 62, and at any time, the button 61 may be pressed and throw the full amount of low voltage into the track and thus operate the reversing switch.

The reference numeral 65 designates the collector shoe on the engine and the wire 66 leads from this collector shoe to the field 67 of the motor 6.. WVire 68 leads to the contact 17 of the reversing switch 10, thence, when the switch is in the position indicated, to contact- 19 and through wire 69 to the armature 70 of the motor 6. From there the current passes through wire 71, contacts 18 and 16, wire 72 and wires 73 and 74 to the engine frame 7. From there it travels through the Wheels 9, side track 64 and back to the transformer. This operation is based on the assumption that the parts are in the positions indicated in Fig. 6, that is with contacts 17 and 19 con nected and points 16 and 18 connected. l/Vhen the reversing switch is operated by means of pressing the button 61, contacts 17 and 21 and 16 and 20 are connected and this causes the current to pass through the armature in the opposite direction, thus reversing the motor.

When the engine is in operation current also passes through wire 75, relay coil 31 and wire 76. When button 61 is depressed and the full or high voltage passes through coil 31, the movement of the armature 34 causes the contacts 40 and 41 to" be engaged and allows the current to pass through wire 77, wire 78 and into coil 30 which when energized will operate the reversing switch, as previously described. Under normal operation the voltage is not high enough to cause sufficient current to pass through the relay 31 and operate same.

Lamps 43 and 44, heretofore mentioned, are located at the front and rear of the engine and are lighted by current from the reversing switch. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 6, the lamp 44 will be connected in the circuit by wire 79 and will be lit. When the reversing switch is operated wire 80 will connect lamp 43 in the circuit and lamp 44 will go out. 1

The wiring diagram of Fig. 7 illustrates another method by which the desired results may be accomplished. In this view the transformer and switch 57 may be arranged in the same manner as in Fig. 6, or batteries may be used to supply the current,'as hereinafter described. The over voltage relay 31 is eliminated and the switch control coil 30 is so wound as to function as the over voltage relay. With this arrangement the spring 24 of Figs. 1 and 2 would act as the springs 39, that is to insure he armature 29 of the coil 30 being held out of Operation For this P p designed that the voltage impressed thereon spring 24 might be arranged so as to have its tension varied. While this would make for a simpler arrangement of parts it might not be so desirable as it would mean that the coil 30 must be very carefully made or it would have a tendencyto burn out or not function prep- 41 of the relay is joined directly to wire 66 which runs from the collector shoe to the field of the motor.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 6 is intended for use on an alternating current circuit. In cases where no current was obtainable the engine would be run by batteries and an auxiliary battery would be connected to the momentary contact switch for operating the over voltage relay as shown in Fig. 7. The reference numeral 86 designates the main battery and D7 is a rheostat for. controlling the speed of the motor.

- From the foregoing it is thought the operation of the device will be clear. As heretofore stated many changes'may be made in details of construction and arrangements of parts without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Areversing mechanism for toy electric engines having in combination, a motor, means including a step-by-step reversing switch for impressing an electriemotive force on said motor to operate said motor in a forward and reverse direction, and a relay. responsive only to an electromotive force greater than said first mentioned electromotive force for controlling said reversing switch.

,2. In a device of the kind described, an electric circuit including a transformer the secondary winding of said transformer being provided with high and low voltage taps, a switch connected to the high voltage tap of said secondary winding of said transformer, a motor, means for reversing the relative direction of the current in the field and armature of said motor and an over voltage relay for controlling said means for reversing the relative direction of the current in the field and armature of said motor, said relay being adapted to function only when said switch connected to the high voltage tap of said secondary winding of said transformer is operated. 1

3. In a device of the kind described, an electric circuit including a transformer the secondary winding of said transformer being provided with high and low Voltage taps, a motor, means for reversing the relative direction of the current in the field and armature I of said motor and an over voltage relay for controlling said means for reversing the rela tive direction of the current in the field and armature of said motor, said relay being so from the low voltage taps of said secondary winding will not cause sufficient current to pass through the coil of the relay to cause said relay to function, and the voltage impressed upon said relay from the high voltage tap of said secondary winding will cause sufiicient current to pass through said relay to cause same to function.

4. An automatic reverse for a toy electric engine having in combination, a transformer, the secondary winding of said transformer being provided with high and low voltage taps, a momentary contact switch connected to the high voltage tap of the secondary winding of said transformer, a motor, means for reversing the relative direction of the current in the field and armature of said motor, an electromagnet for controlling said means for reversing the current, a connection between the armature of said electromagnet and said means for reversing the current and an over voltage relay for controllin said electromagnet, said over voltage relayieing operable only by said momentary contact switch. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN W. HAYWOOD. 

